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Showing posts with label iron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iron. Show all posts
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Iron issues
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
More iron lamentations...
As I've mentioned, I'm having a lot of problems with my iron. I honestly do not feel that my sleeve has anything to do with it as I've had issues for a lot of my life with anemia (as a child) and even a platelet transfusion due to an allergic reaction to a drug when I was 6 years old... it basically made me a hemophilic as I couldn't stop bruising. My platelets weren't working. I had a condition called thrombocytopena purpura.
I'm wondering if that condition somehow transformed or something. I'm now waiting on my doc to actually GIVE me my numbers but after a fainting episode due to Low BP and Anemia complication, I have been on Iron injections every week (daily for a week, then weekly since). I've experienced a great deal of fatigue since my surgery and just chalked it up to a little but of laziness and more of not enough calories. Now, it appears I may actually have a medical reason why I'm so very very tired all the time.
After a couple of months of oral iron supplementation with zero results, I had moved to injected iron. Still, no results (as of today). The nurse called and told me that my doc wants another 3 months of iron injections (done weekly of 2ml) and then another re-test to see if there's any changes. I'm scared now. I feel like if they're going to have to transfuse, then just DO IT. I'm moving to another province in 2.5 months and I'd like to not do this from scratch with a new doc....
I don't know what to say. I'm mostly nervous, scared there's something FOREVER wrong with me (because of, or exacerbated by my sleeve) and I don't really know where to turn right now. I've got an appt with my PCP April 11 and I plan to ask for a hemotogist referral at that time.
Any suggestions, feedback, commiseration, thoughts... anything.....
I'm wondering if that condition somehow transformed or something. I'm now waiting on my doc to actually GIVE me my numbers but after a fainting episode due to Low BP and Anemia complication, I have been on Iron injections every week (daily for a week, then weekly since). I've experienced a great deal of fatigue since my surgery and just chalked it up to a little but of laziness and more of not enough calories. Now, it appears I may actually have a medical reason why I'm so very very tired all the time.
After a couple of months of oral iron supplementation with zero results, I had moved to injected iron. Still, no results (as of today). The nurse called and told me that my doc wants another 3 months of iron injections (done weekly of 2ml) and then another re-test to see if there's any changes. I'm scared now. I feel like if they're going to have to transfuse, then just DO IT. I'm moving to another province in 2.5 months and I'd like to not do this from scratch with a new doc....
I don't know what to say. I'm mostly nervous, scared there's something FOREVER wrong with me (because of, or exacerbated by my sleeve) and I don't really know where to turn right now. I've got an appt with my PCP April 11 and I plan to ask for a hemotogist referral at that time.
Any suggestions, feedback, commiseration, thoughts... anything.....
Friday, February 24, 2012
ack, this sucks
It turns out that the once monthly injection isn't available anymore. Now I get to have an injection EVERY DAY for 5 days, then weekly for 2 months... then re-assess how I'm doing. I have to go for blood work every 2 weeks during all this....
And the prescription is nearly $400. Thankfully my drug plan will cover 80% but its still a lot of money and hassle. This sucks. My cousin said that my aunt told her that I've always been anemic since I was a child (I didn't know that).... since losing all this weight its become a problem because of my BP tanking.
What a pain in the azzzz!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Results
I'm severely anemic is the verdict. She wanted me to get more tests for anemia in 2 weeks and she is now put me on Iron injections monthly to bring my levels up.
She feels that while my low BP is always going to be low, that it can be managed with electrolyte drinks, extra water, salt and moving slowly from laying or sitting to standing positions. The fainting she feels was the anemia in conjunction with the low BP just was too much for my body. She asked about my periods as well if I was losing alot of blood. I wouldn't say I do necessarily... it seems to go in phases month to month. Sometimes its alot, next month it will be light. So I learned something interesting about how a woman's body works that I never knew before....
During your period, you are sloughing off the uterine lining... but attached to the lining are arteries/blood vessels that basically break free and bleed. This is why you have so much blood. All the blood from your period isn't ONLY your uterine wall, its a combination of the attachment points bleeding and the uterine wall together. Interesting hey?
So... she's given me a weird sounding script (Cyklokapron) to take that I only take on med/heavy flow days. 2pills 3x/day and only while on my period. It closes/clamps off the bleeding from those areas that are causing too much blood loss. She said between this pill, the iron injections, and me adding as much iron as I can into my diet that hopefully in a few months we can re-assess. And for me, I have to SIT DOWN with my head between my knees or better LAY DOWN if I feel dizzy. Every time. She said me standing there last week waiting for it to pass could have gone badly if I had actually fainted as I would have been injured in the fall. She said instead of just grabbing onto a wall or desk and waiting to not be dizzy, to put my head down to allow the blood back to my brain faster.
She feels that while my low BP is always going to be low, that it can be managed with electrolyte drinks, extra water, salt and moving slowly from laying or sitting to standing positions. The fainting she feels was the anemia in conjunction with the low BP just was too much for my body. She asked about my periods as well if I was losing alot of blood. I wouldn't say I do necessarily... it seems to go in phases month to month. Sometimes its alot, next month it will be light. So I learned something interesting about how a woman's body works that I never knew before....
During your period, you are sloughing off the uterine lining... but attached to the lining are arteries/blood vessels that basically break free and bleed. This is why you have so much blood. All the blood from your period isn't ONLY your uterine wall, its a combination of the attachment points bleeding and the uterine wall together. Interesting hey?
So... she's given me a weird sounding script (Cyklokapron) to take that I only take on med/heavy flow days. 2pills 3x/day and only while on my period. It closes/clamps off the bleeding from those areas that are causing too much blood loss. She said between this pill, the iron injections, and me adding as much iron as I can into my diet that hopefully in a few months we can re-assess. And for me, I have to SIT DOWN with my head between my knees or better LAY DOWN if I feel dizzy. Every time. She said me standing there last week waiting for it to pass could have gone badly if I had actually fainted as I would have been injured in the fall. She said instead of just grabbing onto a wall or desk and waiting to not be dizzy, to put my head down to allow the blood back to my brain faster.
Monday, February 20, 2012
I passed out today
Thats the first time in my life that it's ever happened.
It was very strange feeling. It literally happened 5 minutes ago. Hubby thought I was having a seizure.
My back has been really tight btwn my shoulder blades for a few days and he does great bear hugs to crack my back but they haven't been helping much. Also, I have low blood pressure since losing weight. When I stand too quickly, I have to grab onto something because the room spins and my vision goes blurry and sometimes dark. It passes quickly though and I've learned to adjust to it by trying to go to a standing position slower. It helps.
I asked hubby to squeeze me because my back was really bothering me. I stood quickly and didn't take the time to adjust before he had me in his arms. The cracking in my back is pleasurable as the tension releases. He put me down and I thought I said to him "give me a second, dizzy.."
That's all I remember until I hit the chair he had placed me in and I awoke to him in my face saying it was ok. I was confused and couldn't understand how I'd gotten into the chair and why he was saying that. He told me that I had passed out and my eyes were rolling around and I made a bunch of gasping sounds. He put me in the chair as I was coming out of it.
Kind of scared me a little. Last week I got out of a tanning bed too fast and lost my vision almost completely for a couple of seconds. This week I faint.
It was very strange feeling. It literally happened 5 minutes ago. Hubby thought I was having a seizure.
My back has been really tight btwn my shoulder blades for a few days and he does great bear hugs to crack my back but they haven't been helping much. Also, I have low blood pressure since losing weight. When I stand too quickly, I have to grab onto something because the room spins and my vision goes blurry and sometimes dark. It passes quickly though and I've learned to adjust to it by trying to go to a standing position slower. It helps.
I asked hubby to squeeze me because my back was really bothering me. I stood quickly and didn't take the time to adjust before he had me in his arms. The cracking in my back is pleasurable as the tension releases. He put me down and I thought I said to him "give me a second, dizzy.."
That's all I remember until I hit the chair he had placed me in and I awoke to him in my face saying it was ok. I was confused and couldn't understand how I'd gotten into the chair and why he was saying that. He told me that I had passed out and my eyes were rolling around and I made a bunch of gasping sounds. He put me in the chair as I was coming out of it.
Kind of scared me a little. Last week I got out of a tanning bed too fast and lost my vision almost completely for a couple of seconds. This week I faint.
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